Tutorial – Light Weight Cardstock

Have you ever opened a package of cardstock and realized it was a much lighter weight than you were expecting?

We want to give our Heroes and their families the best quality cards we can, so it wouldn’t be fair to make a card base out of paper that isn’t sturdy. Often they are using the sand or a friend’s back as a ‘desk’, and lightweight paper doesn’t work well – a pen or pencil will just poke through! This applies also to the thinner designer paper – never appropriate for card bases, but lovely with techniques like these! Thanks to Kate for providing this great collection of ideas. for using lightweight cardstock….so you don’t need to waste that accidental purchase!

In my samples I’m using some light weight yellow cardstock that really doesn’t feel even as heavy as construction paper.

Instead of folding the base and writing inside it, you use the base as a platform for a folded piece of the lighter cardstock. Cut a piece of sturdy (base-weight) cardstock in the regular A2 size (4.25 x 5.5).

Cut your lighter weight cardstock 7.5 x 5, and fold it in half (3.75 x 5). Or if you prefer a thinner border, cut it 8 x 5 and fold it into 4 x 5. You will adhere one face to the cardstock base, so that the base acts as a platform. Decorate the front and our Hero can write on the inside of the fold. These cards can still be tucked in their envelopes as usual.

Of course you can also use your lightweight cardstock to stamp on and adhere to a regular folded card, or punch it and use it for punch art.

You can read more about cardstock in this previous tutorial – Cardstock 101.